Windows Home Server RC1 Install, part 2

Its nearly a week since I last wrote.

The first install went all the way to its completion, did the admin password thing and all. The only problem was that the Server logged in automatically on startup. I tried everything.  There might have been a few other things not working 100% but I can think of them right now.

So I  re-installed and this time it was perfect. Got everything working like a Swiss car. Copying my data back on to the server took a while, from a external USB drive. And then I backed up the PC’s which took even longer.

The Windows live domain wizard is very nice and sleek. I like the way it recognized me and presented me with the previous domain I’d used with the old install.

The router configuration wizard doesn’t work, again portfwd.exe hogged system resources, like 98% of the cpu and prevented anything from getting done. The solution to the resource hogging is to disable the service via the Administrative tools in the control panel.

I think it might be useful to get a list of compatible routers. It would be worth it to get a router that plays nice with WHS(otherwise there is no point to remote access).

The new install screens are very nice. You’re kept up to-date with the progress (I recall that a few people were unhappy with the Beta 2 install in this regard).

The thing is that with each new release, I find myself having to go less and less into the Console or even Remote Desktop. With each release, WHS is becoming more and more headless in the true sense of the word. 

All things considered, WHS might not be the all-in-one solution with WSUS, SQLServer ExchangeLite and so on, but it does exactly what it intends to - serve.

Green with Envy

Scott Hanselman has us all green with envy at his  soon-to-be built $1900 PC. And that includes getting permission from his wife.

Here’s the list:

Antec P182 Gun Metal Black 0.8mm cold rolled steel ATX Mid Tower Computer Case - Retail
Item #: N82E16811129025 $154.99

MSI P6N SLI Platinum LGA 775 NVIDIA nForce 650i SLI ATX Intel Motherboard - Retail
Item #: N82E16813130081 $144.99

2 x MSI NX8600GTS-T2D256E-OC GeForce 8600GTS 256MB GDDR3 PCI Express x16 Over Clock Edition HDCP Video Card - Retail
Item #: N82E16814127284 $337.98

Western Digital Raptor WD1500ADFD 150GB 10,000 RPM Serial ATA150 Hard Drive - OEM
Item #: N82E16822136012 $199.99

Seagate Barracuda 7200.10 ST3500630AS 500GB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive - OEM
Item #: N82E16822148136 $119.99

Intel Core 2 Quad Q6600 Kentsfield 2.4GHz LGA 775 Processor Model BX80562Q6600 - Retail
Item #: N82E16819115017 $531.90

Scythe SCMN-1100 100mm Sleeve CPU Cooler - Retail
Item #: N82E16835185037 $32.99

CORSAIR CMPSU-520HX ATX12V v2.2 and EPS12V 2.91 520W Power Supply - Retail
Item #: N82E16817139001 $129.99

2 x Kingston ValueRAM 2GB (2 x 1GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800 (PC2 6400) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory Model KVR800D2N5K2/2G - OEM
Item #: N82E16820134117 $216.98

LITE-ON 20X DVD±R DVD Burner with 12X DVD-RAM write and LightScribe Technology Black E-IDE/ATAPI Model LH-20A1H-185 - OEM
Item #: N82E16827106055 $33.99

Subtotal: $1,903.79

I’m keeping this list handy for the next time I have £800 in spare change.

The above list put my PC to shame. Its only a year and a half old. What A Pity.

Quotes of the Day

I myself am made entirely of flaws, stitched together with good intentions.
  - Augusten Burroughs

It is a paradoxical but profoundly true and important principle of life that the most likely way to reach a goal is to be aiming not at that goal itself but at some more ambitious goal beyond it.
  - Arnold Toynbee